Sibling bands have been a staple of music since long before the days of the Jackson 5, but not all of them have had the great musical chemistry of the T Sisters. Erika, Rachel, and Chloe Tietjen grew up together in Oakland, raised by parents who always had the radio turned on to good music. Little did he know that the tunes playing around the house would inspire his daughters to make music of their own.

The music the T Sisters craft is a mix of folk-inspired and Americana sounds. The group now tours on a regular basis, and their next show is at the Great American Music Hall on March 9. The evening is in celebration of yesterday's International Woman's Day, and will be co-headlined by Megan Slankard, along with Conspiracy of Venus.

The sisters took time from their busy schedules to talk to us about their music, history, and views on gender inequality in music.

The Bay Bridged: Who's ideas was it to start the "T Sisters"?

Erika: It was a joint effort. We never did music with the idea that we would turn into a band. Eventually, we started taking our music to open mic nights and the people there really digged it. Everything we worked toward grew organically.

Rachel: All of us wanted to do music, I don't think that there was just one sister that started it all. I would say, though, Erika pushed us to start performing our original music as a band. Before we were the T Sisters, we were making music every now and then. Musical theater was where we had our first big collaboration. I went to an art college, and my thesis was to put on a musical theater production. My sisters came in and helped me with that. We performed a song called "A Murmured Tale" and [it] was our original adaptation of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. My sisters and I got serious about making music together once we finished with the play.

TBB: What inspires your folk and Americana sound?

Erika: We grew up listening to a lot of different genres. Our dad is into old soul and R&B. He always had some Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, and Aretha Franklin playing. Our mom was the one who introduced us to folk music though. Overall, we had a mishmash of influences, but harmony groups were the musicians we always listened to.

TBB: This past year, we've seen the rise of the "Me Too" movement as big Hollywood players have been accused of sexual misconduct. Do you feel that gender inequality is just as prevalent in the music scene as in the film industry?

Rachel: Absolutely, I think gender inequality is prevalent in all major industries.

Chloe: There's definitely some inequality when it comes to things like festival lineups. Sometimes, though, we do have to deal with harassment at the merch table. We had to tell a guy off at our last show actually.

TBB: Really? Tell me more about that.

Chloe: He was kind of drunk and mansplaining to me about African rhythms, just off the wall stuff. He also tried showing off some of his dance moves and ended up spilling his beer on me! My sisters and I actually had a conversation before hand about how to handle a situation like this. People don't realize there's a lot of pressure to be polite to every one, especially at the merch table since we're trying to sell things. You're just trying to be grateful to everyone for coming to see you perform. Still, we all agreed to call out anyone that starts bothering us.

Rachel told the drunk guy that we didn't want to talk to him and to leave, so he did. He ended up sending us an email the next day to apologize; I think he did this because my sister called him out. We just had to be very clear and overcome that habit of having to be nice to everyone just because they're trying to be complimentary.

TBB: You felt like you had that right to tell him to leave because he was no longer respecting you.

Chloe: Definitely. I think bringing attention to it also allows other people to step in and stop what's going on. There's also that hope that letting people know that they're making you feel uncomfortable will be a learning experience for them. People often continue harassing behavior if it goes unchecked.

TBB So you're all having a show dedicated to International Woman's Day? Is there any specific issue you want to address?

Erika: What we're seeking to do with the show, first and foremost, is to highlight female musicians. Our main goal is to celebrate women in general. We're not focusing on one specific issue, the show is more to create a positive event around women. The concert isn't going to be this controversial concert or anything too out there. We want to focus on the good, which is awesome female musicians coming together to celebrate one another.

Chloe: I like the idea of the concert being female-fronted and working together instead of having a sense of competition, like at festivals. Women empowering other women is what the show is all about. When we have shows with women, as well as men, supporting other women and keeping the shows diverse, there's a sense of community. Plus, women headlining a show is always nice to see!

TBB: What lies in the future for the T Sisters?

Rachel: We hope to continue traveling and playing our music all over the world. The T Sisters are going to keep growing and playing shows with our fans. Collaborating with other artists is another goal of ours in the future. We could bring that music theater side of us back again too!

Erika: World domination! Just kidding! I don't know, we've been touring a lot these days and trying to stay creative. We're keeping a broad perspective to connect with more people from different backgrounds and ideologies. We also want to be good role models for young girls. In general, we want to be sustainable musicians that will always connect with the audience.

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I am currently a journalism student at San Jose State University! My passions of writing and music have led me to get on board with The Bay Bridged. My other hobbies include jogging in the middle of the night and hanging with my dog.

Founded in 2006, The Bay Bridged is a 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization utilizing new media and presenting live events to support the San Francisco Bay Area’s indie rock, folk, and pop music communities. Our mission is to maintain a dedicated public education campaign to encourage public appreciation of San Francisco Bay Area independent music and to provide unique opportunities for local musicians to perform, receive exposure, collaborate,
and create original works.